'The
Voice': Best. Episode. Ever.

When
Team Adam battled Team Shakira in the "Knockouts," it was the
Super Bowl-Academy Awards-Indy 500 of vocal competition shows.

Never
before had so many top artists appeared in one episode. No less than
16 acts with a legitimate shot at winning "The Voice" competed
head-to-head for a chance to advance to the live shows, which begin
tonight (8 p.m., NBC).

"Amber
... every day we see you continue to blow us away, and that's very
exciting," Adam said following her performance. A little later, he
added, "Amber astonished everybody. I think she's one of the
favorites now."

Twice
this season, Adam has paired Amber against a "four-chair" act. In
the "Battle Rounds," he pitted her against Sasha Allen, who
netted "I Want You" proposals from all four coaches in her blind
audition. Then, in the "Knockouts," Adam sent Amber off to face
Midas Whale.

"I
think it's really scary going up against people that I know got four
chair turns, but it makes me work harder," Amber said Tuesday. "You
know, being here with Sasha, I learned a lot because she was so
great, you know? And I think it's just - it's really boosted my
confidence. I feel like a totally new person.

"And it's really cool to have
your coach believe in you that much to pair you with those people and
actually choose you. It means the world to me."

In Adam's second pairing, indie
rocker Caroline Glaser ("Little Talks") bested "bestie"
and former "The Sing-Off" contender Amy Whitcomb ("The House of
the Rising Sun").

Prior to "The Voice,"
Caroline's largest audience was a 30-seat coffeehouse. Despite that,
she has shown she can aptly perform (and compete) on the biggest of
stages. Going into the live rounds, "I think probably my strategy
is just to kinda be myself and own who I am as an artist, and really
just be confident in my performance and try not to get intimidated by
all the talent around me," she said.

"Judith, the song choice that
you made was brilliant," Adam said. "It juxtaposes who you are as
an artist. It's very much the not obvious choice. And it's a pretty
stellar, pretty incredible move. So, that was amazing."

Though Judith is a seasoned
professional, she has welcomed Adam's feedback.

"Well, yeah, the show's really
stretching me in so many ways. (It's) important to take more risks
with my voice," she said. "Especially like singing 'It's a Man's
World' (in the 'Battle Rounds'), that was really challenging for me
to really dig in more. And Adam is a great coach in that way where
he's like - he pushes you to really go further. And so I've been
really growing a lot."

"Karina, I think that there is
so much more to your voice than only rock," Shakira said, later
adding, "I believe in your enormous potential."

Karina, a music teacher, has been
quick to listen to coaches Adam and Shakira.

"Oh, for me, you know, the
beauty about getting 'stolen' is I got to work with Adam, you know,
and now Shakira. And each coach has a very different approach," she
said. "I know Shakira has been extremely hands-on. And now that,
you know, for the 'Knockout,' we had our own individual time with our
coaches, she's definitely very invested, and she definitely wants to
see us succeed.

"And
so, the same way I teach my kids is the same way that, you know, I'm
kind of a student now with my coach. And so anything they say I, you
know, I try to apply it as best as I can with all my performances.
And so it's just - it's been an incredible ride, and I'm learning
so much about myself as I go. So, yeah, it's pretty incredible."

"Sarah,
you wear your heart out there every single time you perform. It's a
beautiful thing to watch," Adam said, noting there was a "certain
type of perfection" to her performance.

Since
her blind audition, all four coaches have raved about Sarah's talent.
When the live rounds begin, she'll need the voting audience to feel
the same way. To do that, "I
believe I just need to continue to just be myself, and just release
my mind, and just keep going - pushing everything and everything
with my heart," Sarah said.

After
getting four chair turns in the blind audition, Sasha lost her
"Battle Round" duet with Amber. She was "stolen" by Shakira,
and returned to the competition with a vengeance.

"I
guess - I mean, it sucks to lose," she said. "And so, you know,
for the next time, you want to do your best. I think it's - it was
a little nicer that we got to choose our own songs - songs that we
were really comfortable with. You know, songs that we felt really
good singing. And I think that that is what helps shine through. You
know, you're really happy with what you have. And so, you can really
sing at your best, because you chose it."

The
"Knockout" round allows singers on each of the four teams to
prepare a song of their choosing. Each performer is randomly paired with
a teammate, and the act that does the best job (coach's choice) wins, advancing to the live playoffs. It's a win-or-go-home format with no steal or second
chance for the losing act.

These
artists will look to top their "Knockout" performances when they
compete in the live rounds. "The
Voice" airs this week on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at 8 p.m.
on NBC. Visit the show's website at www.nbc.com/thevoice.